Method for realising a submerged floating foundation with blocked vertical thrust for the coordinated production of mariculture and electrical energy using wind in open sea conditions and submergeable floating foundation for carrying loads to be used in said method

ABSTRACT

The invention refers to a novel submerged floating foundation body ( 6,13;16 ) which is mounted to the bottom ( 1 ) of the sea or a lake by cables or chains ( 3 ) and supporting a structure especially a wind turbine tower ( 10 ) below the wave motion area ( 8 ). It may have also a mariculture cage ( 7 ) on said floating body.

The present invention relates to the combination of the innovativetechniques of conception, project design and realisation of a submergedfloating foundation, combined with the use and realisation of the upperpart of said foundation as a submerged support base for a wind turbineinstallation in combination with mariculture facilities, also positionedon the upper part of said foundation. In fact, the nature of theinnovation does not concern only the realisation of a floatingfoundation below the level of wave motion, that already represents aninnovation in state of the art technology and construction, but mainlyconcerns the combination of techniques and methods that permit both therealisation of wind turbines and mariculture at the same time.

In fact, no invention in the current state of this technical artprovides for this type of use in this combination, which is alsoinnovative in each of its single components.

In fact, the realisation of submerged floating foundations with blockedvertical thrust—that therefore take greatest advantage of the principalof Archimedes—is an innovation in itself, but an even newer conceptrelates to the method of construction, realisation, installation andtransport of the foundation.

The wind turbine energy production installation is also innovative.

The use of wind turbines is increasing constantly, and this has beendemonstrated by the reduced availability of the better positions on landfor the installation of wind turbine plants. For this reason, greatattention is being paid to the idea of open sea installations.

Within this application “sea” includes also “lake”.

At the present moment, many projects are underway, or under development,but these concern projects that use very common technology.

One technique foresees that the foundations be dug into the sea bottom,and that the turbine be fixed on top of the foundation. This is a verycostly process and harmful to the surrounding environment, both duringconstruction, as well as during removal.

A second technique foresees a floating foundation on the water surface,anchored to the sea bottom with cables. However this technology has adisadvantage in that it is sensitive to position changes in the seabottom caused by water and wave movement.

Lastly, a patent foresees a wind turbine fixed to the sea bottom andmaintained in position by anchoring systems. But this patent presentsstability problems over a period of time and is very costly to realise.

None of these technologies can be integrated with mariculture. Theinnovation concerning the mariculture installation is composed ofvarious elements.

First of all, the constructive technology is extremely innovativeaccording to the present invention.

Secondly, the fact that the installation uses the foundation as asupport base provides greater stability, and above all, permits thefarming of any type of fish species, including those that need the seabed as their habitat.

Thirdly, an installation such as that described in this invention iscompletely automatic, including all the aspects concerning fish feeding.

Even though they are coordinated to realise a single product, theprinciple technical aspects of this innovative concept each represent aninnovative and individual realisation method independent of each other,that however, when coordinated with each other permit the realisation ofa unique installation with far-reaching effects, also from an economicalpoint of view because of the considerable reduction in manufacturingcosts.

The installation is also innovative from the viewpoint of the influenceof its productive capacity in a wide range of different and absolutelydiversified technological and productive sectors.

When examining the innovative project design of this product as a whole,it is essential that each single innovative method and technology ofwhich it is composed must be taken into consideration at the same time,since these components when combined together form a unique innovativeproduct with multiple applications, while at the same time, whenconsidered separately, each individual component represents aninnovative product that can be used independently of the othercomponents.

We will begin with the method for the construction of a submergedfoundation, which is an extremely important aspect. The foundation iscomposed of a cylindrical or polygonal shaped structure with blockedvertical thrust, crossed internally by radial arms, that can be filledwith air or different gas, and stabilised with ballast. Diversificationis also possible. They can be transported and stabilised using ballast,crossed internally by spokes as far as to the immersion position, to beanchored to the sea bed using tension chains or cables that also connectit to submerged counterweights and that make it permanently fixed andable to resist weight, pressure, and stress, even when combinedtogether, of an intensity equal to the vertical thrust of the floatingfoundation.

This is composed of a single structure developed both in horizontal andvertical directions, as shown in drawings. The structure describedherein is hexagonal, but it can be built in cylindrical or polygonalform with the same characteristics.

It is composed of an external hollow ring in the shape of a polygon or acircle that forms the external body of the structure.

A variable number of hollow radial arms extend from this external ringto connect the ring (donut) to the central body of the foundation, whichhas an additional lower part in the steel version, also of cylindricalor polygonal shape.

In realty, the structure is composed of two cylindrical or polygonalhollow concentric bodies of different sizes, the external body beingmuch larger than the central body, and connected by radial arms thatconnects the two bodies together.

Naturally the arms that connect the two hollow bodies are alsosubmerged, floating and constructed of material that can be filled withair or other gases.

The central body is smaller in size than the external body of thefoundation is developed upwards (and downwards in the steel version) toextend further than the foundation ring towards the top (and the bottomin the steel version).

The internal circular structure of the central body acts also as acontainer for the equipment that transforms and exports the energyproduced by the wind turbine constructed above that will be described ingreater detail further on, containing for example, a transformer, agenerator, and a computerized control system as well as it is equipmentfor the mariculture facility.

The structure realised in this manner represents a single foundationbody constructed in a single piece and without the assembly of theindividual parts, that are, however, separately appreciable, such as theexternal ring, the radial arms and the central body.

The single body concept of the foundation is designed and constructed toincrease the stability and resistance to the forces and loads.

The foundation will not have a uniform support base, since said basewill be empty in certain points, and others, that is, those constructedwith material that can be filled with air or other gases and that formthe polygons and the radial arms, can be filled with air or other gases.

In order to simplify the description of the foundation, one can say thatthe foundation has a shape of a wagon wheel with spokes that connectingthe external ring to the internal hub, which employs a cylinder at thehub centre that crosses through the wheel.

The centre core that develops in a vertical direction towards thesurface of the water in calm sea conditions will have a passagewayaround the external perimeter that can be used both as a workingplatform as well as access to the interior of the hollow body containingthe service equipment that will be described further on.

Once the foundation has been positioned under sea level, access to thepassageway will be possible by boat or by using a “draw-bridge” typeaccess. The structure can be constructed in steel, reinforced concrete,vibrated reinforced concrete, or prestressed concrete or any othermaterial suitable for the same purpose, e.g. glasfiber enhanced polymersor the like.

It can be constructed in a single piece, in modules or components forassembly, fitted together internally and externally with specialconnecting seals, including flanged seals, or by on-site casting orwelding. It can be constructed on-site in a single solution, or builtindustrially; this also applies to all single components.

Special hooks will be attached on the lower and upper parts of theexternal wall of the foundation at the points where the radial armsintersect with the perimeter for anchoring the tension cables. Otherhooks for cables will be positioned along the edge of the central bodyof the foundation at the ends of the radial arms, both on the upper andlower parts. Tension cables will be attached to said hooks and willserve a double function.

The cables that connect the perimeter of the foundation to the centralbody, both at the upper part towards water level and the lower part inthe direction of the sea bottom, will act to provide the structure withthe necessary stiffness and therefore to connect the external ring tothe central body of the foundation in a stable manner. This connectionis even more necessary because the central body of the foundation willhave a vertical projection both downwards towards the sea bottom, andupwards towards the surface of the water.

The chains or cables that will be attached to the hooks on the loweredge of the external ring of the foundation will be connected tocounterweights that will be placed on the seabed to provide thenecessary stability to the whole system in order to compensate all loadsacting on the system and to counter the physical forces present in thearea.

The connecting tension chains or cables between the foundation and thecounterweights will be positioned in vertical as well as diagonaldirections in order to block any movement of the system.

Said chains or cables will be full steel cables or equivalents thereofwith variable diameters according to the different necessities and thestress to which they are subject.

The size of the cables themselves will depend on the s size of thevarious loads in the specific marine environment, in relation to thethrust that the structure will receive in order to be able to compensatethe overturning moment of the whole system including all components ofthe present invention, and therefore also the structure that will risewell above sea level for the production of electricity from eolian windenergy.

As stated previously, the foundation is not completely full, to form aplane surface for two technical reasons.

The first reason is the fact that since it is immersed in the water wellunder the level of the wave movement, no less than ten meters and atvariable depths, the foundation has a specific weight that is muchlighter than the weight it would have in normal gravitational andaerobic conditions outside the water.

The second reason depends on the fact that considering the interactionbetween the physical laws relative to fluids and the structure itself,in the case that there would not be empty spaces between the radialarms, the foundation would receive an excessive thrust that wouldrequest unnecessarily greater costs for the production, of thefoundation and the mooring (anchoring) system.

According to the description provided, and on examining the drawings itis easy to note that the steel foundation 6 represents a structureequipped with radial arms 13 that act as air chambers with the spacebetween the empty spokes, while in the case of reinforced concrete andvibrated or precompressed reinforced concrete foundations 16, thering-body is composed of various air chambers between the structuralwalls.

The sizes of the foundations vary according to the sites at sea wherethey are positioned, as well as the height of the wind turbine tower 10;however, fixed proportions exist between the various values, which areestablished by the laws of physics.

As an indication, considering a foundation with a variable diameterbetween 40 and 60 meters, the central unit where the tower 10 is fixedwill have a diameter no less than 5 meters, the two cylindrical parts ofthe central body on the vertical axis have to be about 15 meters, (forthe steel version only) in the upwards and in the downwards direction,while for the reinforced concrete and vibrated or precompressedreinforced concrete foundations, no downwards central body part isforeseen.

Given this dimension of values, the ideal quota for anchoring thefoundation to the seabed using the system described here, would bebetween 10 and 25 meters below water surface level.

The quota for positioning the foundation will be calculated, naturallytaking into consideration not only the situation in calm sea conditions,but also the maximum historical wave height as well as the amplitude oftide reached under strong wave motion.

The innovations represented following this realisation method forsimilar submerged floating foundations are numerous, not only withreference to the wind turbine structure itself that is developed bothvertically and horizontally, but also with reference to the extremestability that can be obtained with this method.

The foundation is also innovative in its realisation because as well asother aspects, it eliminates existing problems with techniques currentlyin use based on a system of piles driven into the sea bed and assembledtogether on side, which requires multiple use of heavy cranes in opensea.

On the other hand, with the method according to the present invention itis possible to realise a submerged floating foundation, that, in spiteof the fact that it is not composed of single plane surface, can beattached to the sea bed with all the characteristics of stability andsafety that permit the submerged foundation to be used a base forconstructions that can rise even to considerable heights above sealevel.

In fact, the realisation process according to this invention provides asubmerged support base, suspended below the wave motion level area.

The submerged platform with blocked vertical thrust that can be filledwith air is composed of a single polygonal or circular body, crossed byradial arms, and developed in a vertical direction in the centre bothupwards and downwards, but which, for the example illustrated in thepresent invention, is positioned several meters below the wave motionlevel to make it stable even under extreme weather conditions.

The aims of said innovative method are numerous, and are directed on onehand, at the realisation of a submerged floating foundation, and on theother at the realisation of rising constructions based on saidfoundation, without the danger of the slightest oscillation, since theyare not based directly on the sea bed, but below the wave motion level,and in fact, are integral with it.

Another aim of the innovation is to realise on the upper level of thesubmerged foundation, various closed, rigid and permeable structuresthat may reach the water surface level, and which can be used forcertain activities, of various entity according to the size of thestructure, directed at farming of marine species, permitting fishfarming even of those species that need a bottom as their habitat.

In the case where the foundation has a hexagonal shape, these structurescan form the sixth of the hexagon.

This means that each polygon formed by the intersection on thefoundation between the radial arms and the two hollow bodies willcompose a cage or tank dedicated to mariculture.

This means, therefore, that the number of polygons will be equal to thenumber of cages that will be positioned on the foundation and will be ashigh as the distance to just above water surface level. Said cages canbe manufactured completely in synthetic netting, open or closed on theuppermost surface, or can have a bottom concrete base and netting walls,and also in this case can be open or closed on the top surface.

The upper part that protrudes from the surface of the water of the cagescould be equipped completely or partially, with suitable floatingstructures with the double function of preventing the occasional exit ofthe farmed fish, as well as making the cages more visible in open sea.

The netting mesh on the cages can be of various gauges, sufficientlyrigid to prevent tearing, however, this involves raising the wearthreshold, therefore increasing the resistance and longer duration ofthe fish farming equipment, also making the structure more resistant topossible aggression by predators and underwater currents.

Moreover, the mesh must be sized to prevent the exit of the fish farmedinside the cages. Therefore it is possible to realise various mesh sizesaccording to the type of fish to be farmed.

The various solutions adopted for realising these cages will depend onthe species to be farmed, taking into consideration the necessitieslinked with fish size and living conditions.

The method for attaching the cages to the foundation can also differ,according to the following systems:

-   -   Either using plastic or hard rubber lines, that are however        sufficiently flexible to absorb shock produced by the waves,    -   Or, fixed to the foundation using hooks equipped with elastic        shock absorber lines that permit a certain level of elasticity        against sea waves.

Uprights manufactured in elastic material could also be used asauxiliary attachment.

The choice of the cage hooks must always depend on the type of fish thatis to be farmed, and its weight; as well as the needs for its livingconditions.

Each cage can also be connected at one corner only, the most internalangle of the polygon that forms the cage, both at the bottom and at thetop at water surface level, at the centre piling that will form the baseof the wind turbine.

According to the type of fish to be farmed, nets can be lowered insideeach of the cages to harvest the fish more easily.

Moreover, according to the type of fish, the cage can be used to createthe biosystem conditions formed on the sea bed, to produce a submergedaquarium within which the water is supplied directly from the sea, andthe food necessary for that particular species is natural and notartificial.

The installation facility is organised designed in a manner way so thatsupplementary feeding is possible for the fish in the cages, having anautomatic feeding system with electricity supply from the onboardtransformer.

Contrarily to current systems, the fact that these cages are separatepermit the farming of different species at sea, including those thatrequire the sea bed as habitat, making it possible also to farmcrustaceans in general, including almost all types of shell fish,especially the bivalve species.

Therefore, the present invention provides the possibility of fishfarming at sea, according to the species and in conditions thatreproduce the natural habitat in which the species live and reproduce.

Moreover, the present invention facilitates the harvesting and transportof the fish to the coast ready for sale.

The first activity necessary for cage or tank recovery is the unhookingfrom the foundation base, performed by under-water divers. Followingthis stage, the recovery of the fish and transport to land is performedvery easily, since each cage can be raised by cranes mounted on theworking platform at the base of the wind turbine, that comprises thethird combined element in the present invention, and that will bedescribed further on. After the cages have been unhooked from thefoundation, the cranes raise them until they are close to the surface ofthe water.

Cage recovery can be performed either using cranes mounted on theworking platform of the wind turbines, several cranes may be positionedopposite each other, or the cages can be raised by cranes positioned onships moored close to the installation.

Obviously, since all the cages are separate, the recovery operations canbe performed individually and independently according to the particularneeds of the fish harvest.

Once the fish have been harvested they are transported to the coast bymotor vessels.

The objectives to be attained with this type of fish farming system arenumerous, given the variety and wide range of fish species that can befarmed in this way using a single structure, but differentiated at thesame time through the use of individual cages that permit diversifiedfarming of different fish varieties.

Naturally it must be strongly emphasised that the fish species farmed inthis manner remain in their own natural habitat and environmentalconditions.

An automatised system will supply the fish food to each cage from one ormore silos located inside the wind turbine tower, said silos are alsooperated by the electricity energy produced by the wind turbine throughthe transformer mounted on the installation.

In the case of lack of wind, and therefore lack of energy production,the feed distributors will be supplied by the accumulators mounted onthe wind turbine system. inside the central body Or by wave energy whichcan be won by wave energy generators connected to the system. Of coursethe additional power supply may be also realized with solar cellsmounted on the turbine tower.

The savings obtained with a system of this type for feed distribution tothe cages reduce labour costs to a minimum.

The innovative interest of this installation, which is already aninnovation in its present form, can be completed with the furtheraddition of a wind turbine installation.

Said wind turbine installation uses the submerged foundation as asupport base being inserted into the upper part of the foundation onwhich a “female” base is attached to the centre, either inserted orbolted to the centre of the circular piled tower or welded on thecentral body.

The base of the wind turbine would therefore be positioned in the centreof the submerged foundation with the fish fanning cages arranged in acircle around it.

The advantage of a layout of this type for industrial activities liesabove all in the shared cost of the installation support structure thatwould be divided Up among the various productive activities.

A further advantage is represented by the particularly economical mannerin which each part and area of the installation is used to bestadvantage.

The piled tower that rises above the water surface level is destined toact as a support for a wind turbine that would be mounted on the top ofthe structure, at a level that is higher than the wave motion level butthat is appropriate but in proportion with the foundation base. Thisinstallation would be destined to produce electricity from wind energy.

The base of the wind turbine is circular, with a vertical constructioncomposed of a tower built of steel, reinforced concrete, orprecompressed, or vibrated reinforced concrete, with a height inproportion with the base of the foundation, destined to use the energyobtained from the wind turbine positioned on the top of the tower.

At the top of the piled tower is a nacelle containing the rotor,revolution multiplier and the generator.

Inside each piled tower is an electrical installation that conducts theelectricity produced by the wind turbine and then sends it through acable that transports the electricity to the shore, and partly to theaccumulator that provides the supply to the mariculture fooddistribution system.

In fact the individual wind turbine units positioned in horizontalalignment parallel with each other and connected in sequence throughcables, or through cables of a suitable capacity, may also transmit theelectricity to a substation placed in one of the units.

The possibility of positioning the individual wind turbines inhorizontal alignment, connected to each other, permits the installationof a single substation, thus contributing to an obvious reduction incost for the transmission of the produced eolian energy electricity.

Another important aspect linked with the grouping of the wind turbinesis the fact that this also reduces the running and maintenance costs ofthe installation.

One of the innovations of the present invention is represented by thefact that the size of the individual installations for mariculture willbe calculated according to necessity, and will be supplied withelectricity produced by each individual installation, contrarily tocurrent methods that use diesel motors or cable connection to land forenergy supply, implicating not only greater running and managementcosts, but also obvious problems concerning sea pollution in the areasin question.

The method and means used for the embodiment of the present invention iscomposed of the sequence and the coordination of certain activities andsaid means that when combined together provide an innovation that whenconsidered as a whole is protected by the present invention according tothe claims. It must be emphasised that many of the stages for therealisation of the installation are performed on site and directly onthe fixed support provided by the foundation, thus avoiding the need forlarge ships as support for construction.

We will now illustrate the various stages involved in the realisation ofthe innovative installation that can be built using the different butcombined project methods.

The first stage involves the preparation of the foundation that can befilled with air, and that is composed of a structure in cylindrical orpolygonal form, inside which exists a second cylindrical or polygonalstructure that is smaller than the external structure, but connected tothe external structure by means of radial arms; the central part of thefoundation represented by the smaller polygon is not flat, but risesvertically on both sides of the foundation.

Both the external and internal polygons of said structure that can befilled with air may be equipped with hooks for attaching chains orcables to provide tension the foundation towards the counterweightsproviding it with correct stability.

As well as being able to be filled with air, obviously the structuremust be hermetic and hollow inside, and must have the appropriate weightthat combines solidity with the capacity to float.

When building the foundation in the original form as described herein,it will be equipped with an adequate number of fixing hooks and providedwith the relative number of hollow concrete blocks to be positioned onthe seabed. The blocks can be positioned by burying them in the sand, orin cases where the seabed is not sandy the blocks can be positioned andcovered completely with large grade gravel.

Instead of the counterweights drill anchors or the like may be providedin the sea bottom.

The construction stage of the air filled structure equipped with therelative fixing attachments should be performed on land, and oncecompleted it can be transported to the selected area at sea.

Said foundation eliminates all the problems that occur with therealisation of similar foundations because as well as offering thepossibility of a submerged level, in spite of the fact that certainparts are empty below the wave motion level, it also permits precisecalibration of the foundation dimension not only in proportion with thedepth of the sea bed, but also in proportion with the type of activitythat will be performed on the upper part of the foundation. Transport issimple because the structure can be towed by ship on water without theneed for stowage and without problems linked with size.

Once the foundation has been towed to its destination at sea, it isimmersed using appropriate ballast application with removable positiveor negative loading and/or the introduction of seawater inside thefoundation and the hollow concrete anchoring blocks.

The air-filled structure is lowered to a safety level that must be justbelow the wave motion level, and then the ballast that was appliedpreviously is removed gradually.

Said last activity involving the proportion of ballast to be pumpedpermits the positioning of the air-filled structure at the establishedimmersion level.

Part of the ballast or mooring system is composed of hollow concreteblocks that can be positioned with total gravity on the seabed afterhaving let out of the air inside the structure.

Once the blocks have been positioned on the sea bottom, and while thefloating structure is positioned at a constant level, just below thewave motion level, the mooring chains and cables are attached to thefixing systems located on the of the counterweights positioned on thesea bottom.

Following this stage, the cables that tension the horizontal ring of thefoundation with the central body are attached to the part that descendstowards the seabed, and to the upper part of the central body.

The hollow concrete blocks may be filled with sand, if their position isnot too deep.

Once the connecting chains or cables and counterweight bodies have beenlinked, the floating foundation will move in a stable position withoutoscillation or other movement by removing the ballast which was filledin previously.

At this point any remaining ballast in the foundation can be removed,except the ballast, which can be placed in the lower part of the centralbody to bring down the centre of gravity of the whole system. With theremoval of the ballast, the foundation weight will be lightened with theresult that because of the lighter weight it will receive a thrust inthe upward direction from the sea bed that will exercise the tension ofall the chains or cables attached to the counterweights on the sea bed,thus providing the foundation with the necessary stability.

Once these operations have been completed, the foundation will possessthe high stability level necessary to permit the loading of any furtherequipment that is mounted above sea level, but that will be affected bywave motion to a minimum extent.

Moreover, the structures to be attached to the foundation may be thecages, each one positioned on the section of the foundation formed bythe radial arms.

Each cage will be attached to the foundation using the various methodsand according to the different type of structure described above, in avertical position so that the top of the cage is slightly under thewater surface level.

The cages or tanks will also be realised according to the type ofspecies to be farmed. The methods described establish that the type ofspecies to be contained in each cage will determine whether the cagewill have a concrete base or not, according to whether the species inquestion needs a bottom for its habitat.

Standard maintenance of the cages and the nets mounted on the cages willbe performed regularly by under water divers.

The cages will be raised regularly and placed on support boats usingcranes for non-standard maintenance operations.

As described herein, the submerged floating foundation realisedaccording to the embodiment and method of this invention, will be usednot only for fish farming activities, but also for the production ofelectricity from wind energy.

It is obvious that the connection of conceptually individual facilities,such as the wind turbines and the fish farming system, and theconnection of both systems in combination with one another and with thesubmerged floating foundation offers numerous advantages, representedamong others, by the division of assembly costs, as well as themaintenance costs that will also be divided among the various activitiesconcerned.

Moreover, this innovative realisation permits the use of energy producedby the wind turbines to supply the whole structure including themariculture facility.

In this manner, although each part of the system is coordinated anddirected at the realisation of a single innovative installation, it ispossible to reduce costs not only during each stage of the realisation,but also on completion since the installation provides its own energy,reducing the running and maintenance costs of the whole complex to agreat extent.

In fact, the concept of using the foundation base both as a containerfor fish farming as well as for wind turbines makes said innovativerealisation method not only far more economical, because of the divisionof installation and maintenance costs, but also offers the obviousbenefit of being able to reduce costs during operations and takeadvantage of all available space on the structure, so that each segmenthas an individual and separate purpose, but coordinated with each otherat the same time.

Once the foundation structures and counter-weights have been positionedand attached, it is possible to program the operations for the settingup of the wind turbine.

The following stage involves the positioning of the circular piled toweron the vertical part of the foundation. The circular structure risesvertically towards the surface and finishes well above the surface ofthe water.

This detail is illustrated in drawings.

The vertical piled tower that will be composed of a steel or concretetower will have a height between 70 and 120 especially about 90 metersaccording to the dimensions of the foundation described herein, abovewhich must be added the 40 to 60 meters of one of the wind turbineblades when in vertical position.

In fact, for a tower measuring between 70 and 120 meters in height,approximately 40 to 50 meters will be left free from the surface of thewater, since the rest of this space is occupied by blades of the windturbine, two or three in number, that inscribe an ideal circle with adiameter ranging between 80 and 120 meters.

The steel tower can be attached to the foundation using a “female” basethat rises vertically for a height that varies according to the positionof the installation and the specific atmospheric conditions in the area,but in any case, in proportion with the width of the foundation to whichit is attached.

The positioning of the piled tower will be performed on site with aminimum of labour intervention, since the operation is performed by anauxiliary crane that permits an easy tower installation, using the fixedplatform as support, instead of using Jack-ups or crane ships. Thistower does not need to be realised previously because of the necessityfor involved installation methods, but can even be realised on site,thus contributing to cost reduction even further by saving on transport.

Each wind turbine positioned in one or more parallel lines will beequipped with a generator located at the top in the nacelle.

Each unit will be connected to the other units.

The interior of the turbine tower will be hollow to permit the passageof the electrical installation that will collect the producedelectricity to be sent to the shore using the substation connected toeach single unit.

Also installed inside the piled tower is all the technical,technological and safety equipment needed for the installation itself,plus the food supply silos for the fish contained in the farming cages.

The nacelle positioned on the steel tower will be large enough to permitaccess for standard and non-standard maintenance operations.

A supplementary crane will be used for mounting the nacelle and forassembling the tower elements.

The generator that will be mounted on each wind turbine will provide forproducing the electricity and transmitting from each individualconnected unit to the shore through a substation.

The wind turbines—or wind mills—will be installed so that theirhorizontal axis or hub will be positioned at a height of approximately70-120 e.g. 80 meters above the surface of the water.

This position permits greater exposure to wind in order to facilitatethe eolian energy production.

The assembly operations for both the fish farming facilities and thewind turbine installation can be performed at different times, and alsoin sequence with each other, and in any case, directly on site in opensea, naturally after floating foundation has been transported andinstalled since this forms the base for the addition of the otherstructures.

Said assembly operations at sea can be facilitated by using mobilecranes for each individual installation group, providing even furthersavings in labour costs.

The installation realised using this method provides the great advantageof being ecology-friendly since it is limited to using and making themost of natural existing elements in a limited space and in a correctmanner.

The invention is also especially advantageous for the fact that it useslimited space for carrying out activities of a certain economicalimportance, while fully respecting the environment at the same time.

The sequence of the successive constructive stages for the completeinstallation can occur at different times, and can be subject to variousadaptations and modifications according to the geographical location ofthe installation.

Any said adaptations must however be in relation to the technologicalinnovation protected by this patent.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The Figures, the Description of Working Mode and the Parts Lists areintegral constituents with Specification and claims.

FIG. 1 shows all components of a submerged floating foundation in steelwith a mariculture facility fixed on top of the horizontal part of thefloating foundation showing one possible solution for the combinationbetween the floating foundation and the mariculture facility 7. In thiscase the top of the cage has to follow the wave motion but also thewhole cage can be linked through loops in a way that the cage 7 willfollow the movements of the wave and is sufficiently elastic towards thefixed structure.

It is also possible to combine these two components in many otherdifferent ways: the mariculture cage 7 can be closed under the sea leveland especially under the wave motion area 8, it can be in segments,which reproduce the geometry of the foundation body 6,21 or it may beindependent cages 7 linked to the foundation body 6,21, on top or aside,or linked only to the counterweights 2 or it may be one large cage,both, with upper part floating on the sea level or closed under the sealevel and especially under the wave motion area 8.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the floating foundation in a hexagonconfiguration, but may have also more or less angles or be circular.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the mariculture cage 7 going up to thesea-level where it is necessary to leave one segment open. The cage isclosed at a certain level under the sea-level in order to allow thelandings on the working platform 9 of the unit.

In the case of the mariculture cage 7 going up to the sea-level it isnecessary to leave one segment open 26 (FIG. 3) or closed at a certainlevel under the sea-level in order to allow the landings on the workingplatform 9 of the unit.

The positioning of the horizontal body of the foundation 6,13,16 mayfollow primarily the criteria of securing maximum stability to the wholeunit or also to the criterion of giving at the same time more volume tothe mariculture cage 7 or cages. In this case the space between the sealevel and the body of the floating foundation 6,13,16 is much more thanit would be necessary to assure always the minimal hydrostatical thrust(as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4).

The steel version of the submerged floating foundation (6,13,16) ischaracterized by the tension cables 3, which provide the necessarystiffness to the steel body of the foundation 6.

FIG. 4 shows the version in concrete, which differs essentially from thesteel version in not having the lower part 4 for additional ballast tobring the centre of gravity of the whole system down, as the weight ofthe concrete foundation body (FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7) is much higher thanthat of the steel version.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the foundation, including the central body.

The volume of the foundation body 6,13,16 is always dimensioned in a wayto be able to compensate all acting loads and the weight of thefoundation itself inside the water in order to produce always thenecessary vertical thrust to confer stability to the system.

The tension chains or cables 3 assure the counteraction against theoverturning moment and also stability of the platform against anydirection of movement.

The solution of the counterweights 2 can be various according to thedepth of the site and available facilities. One possible solution is touse concrete blocks with cavities inside, which allow a floatingtransport. The cavities in the blocks are at first floated partially inorder to position the blocks on the ground and ones they are put inplace, floated totally.

Solutions, which foresee a filling up with gravels, once put in placeare also possible, up to a certain depth, as solutions, which combinegravity action with suction effect. Up to certain depth it is alsopossible to position the counterweights 2 inside the sea bottom 1, whereit is possible.

Both solutions, in steel (FIG. 1-3) and in concrete (FIG. 4-7), followalways the principle of hermetically closed segments in order to allow afloatation of the foundation even if water will penetrate in one of thesegments.

One the other hand is the life cycle of the foundation much longer thanthat of the wind turbine and tower.

DESCRIPTION OF WORKING MODE

The submerged floating foundation 6,13,16 with blocked vertical thrustfor the combined production of electricity form wind energy and ofmariculture products has it's core in the function of the foundation6,13,16, which allows to combine the two production activities on astable support base in the open ocean also in deep waters of 200 m ormore.

Basement and anchoring platform for the facilities of the two activitiesis the foundation body 6,13,16 as shown in the FIG. 1, 4, either insteel or in concrete.

In both cases is the working principle to counterbalance all loads,which act on the production facilities—coming from the wind, the wavesand the marine currents—by the dynamic stability of the foundation body6,13,16, which is the result of the combined action of the hydrostaticthrust and the counterforce exercised through the chains 3 andcounterweights 2.

The stability of the system is assured by the dimensioning of the sizeand volume of the foundation body 6,13,16 in relation to the loads,which act both on the upper part in form of wind and waves and on thelower part of the system in form of marine currents.

In the worst case wind thrust and wave thrust act together in onedirection, while marine currents act in the opposite direction. Thisdetermines the maximum of overturning moment exercised on the system.

The overturning moment is compensated by the action of always one of thechains or cables 3, in relation to the direction of the above mentionedloads. Although two neighbour chains act partially to compensate theoverturning moment, it is preferred to dimension the chains 3 in a waythat always one chain is able to compensate the maximum overturningmoment.

Additionally the volume of the floating foundation 6,13,16 and thechains 3 are dimensioned in a way that the chains 3 are alwayspre-tensioned.

The minimum vertical trust of the whole foundation below sea level incase of the highest possible wave (smallest displaced water volume) hasto be equal to reach the equilibrium of all involved actions, includingthe proper weight of the system and the increase of the weight due toformation of algae etc. during the time.

Additional ballast, to be placed in the lower part of the central bodyof the foundation 4 (FIG. 1), act to lower the centre of gravity of thesystem.

The operation of the mariculture facilities 7 gains from having atdisposal electricity in the open sea from the wind turbine to operateautomatic feeding and control systems, as well as cranes for liftingweights. A first packaging and production of ice for chilling of thefish is possible having electricity on board of the platform 9.

The operation of the wind turbine gains from the presence of workers inrunning the mariculture facility 7 as well as sharing the transportvessels in case of normal maintenance and smaller spare parttransportation.

Both productive activities gain from sharing one common supportstructure and one common mooring system, as well as from sharing manpower.

The environment gains from the concentration of two strongly expandingactivities in the oceans into the same area, reducing substantially theareas needed for the two activities, if operated separately.

Security in navigation is improved by the light signals of the windturbine, whereas offshore mariculture farms do not provide such signals.

Installation of the system is simple and economic and represents thelowest possible impact on to the marine environment, no drilling oraction of hammers, no use of Jack-ups is necessary.

Removing of the whole system at the end of the life-cycle is extremelysimple and economic and does not interfere at all in the environment, asthe counterweights 2 will have to remain in place, being already part ofthe marine environment and improving the habitat.

The solution of the submerged foundation allows generally to go intodeeper waters and therefore to move the two production facilities fareroutside and therefore out of the visual impact.

At the same time it is possible to improve the economic results of thetwo activities due to higher wind speed far from shore and to betterwater quality, especially higher oxygen rate as well as solving theproblem of the impact of the excrements in near shore fish farming.

PARTS LIST

-   -   1. Sea bottom    -   2. Counterweights    -   3. Chains or cables    -   4. Lower part of central body with ballast    -   5. Tension cables to provide stiffness to the foundation body    -   6. Foundation, body, external body    -   7. Mariculture facility; cage (either to sea level or closed        under sea level)    -   8. Wave motion area    -   9. Working platform    -   10. Turbine tower (strut)    -   11. Turbine blades    -   12. Turbine nacelle and rotor hub    -   13. Radial arm, body    -   14. Structural wall between the segments    -   15. Mariculture cage segment (in case of mariculture top        floating upon sea level)    -   16. Foundation, lateral view of central body with segments, body    -   17. Working platform on conjunction between turbine tower and        top of central body of floating foundation    -   20. Central body    -   21. Segment of foundation body in concrete    -   23. Central body    -   25. Cross section view of central body with segments    -   26. Access segment for landing to working platform (in case of        mariculture cage top floating upon sea level)

1. A method of implementing a buoyant foundation operable to support aload composing: immersing a buoyant foundation body below a wave motionarea of water; disposing a turbine tower having a wind turbine on anupper part of the foundation body; and attaching a counterweight to thefoundation body using a tension cable, operable to bias the foundationbody against thrusting vertically into the wave motion area.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: controlling the depth of thefoundation body in the water through adjustment of the counterweights.3. The method of claim 1 further comprising employing an anchoringsystem extendable from the body and contacting a surfacing of a floor ofa body of water.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprising: connectingelectrical generating equipment to the wind turbine; and utilizing thewind turbine to generate electricity.
 5. The method of claim 4 furthercomprising attaching a fish farming installation to the foundation body.6. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the buoyancy byincreasing or decreasing an amount of gas in the foundation body of thefoundation body in the water.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the gasis air.
 8. A buoyant foundation comprising: a foundation body having alower submergible buoyant part operable to be submerged below a wavemotion area of a body of water, the foundation body comprising an upperpart comprising a wind turbine extending therefrom and operable toextend above a surface of the water, and further comprising a firsttension cable tethered to the upper part and tethered to the foundationbody, and at least one counterweight, tethered to the foundation body,operable to bias the foundation body against thrusting vertically intothe wave motion area and operable to be disposed on a surface of a floorof a body of water, wherein the upper part further comprises a chamberfor an electrical installation to control the wind turbine, and at leastone storage chamber.
 9. The invention of claim 8 further comprising ananchoring system extending from the foundation body and the surface of afloor of a body of water wherein said anchoring system is adapted toretain the foundation body submerged below the wave motion area ofwater.
 10. The invention of claim 9 said anchoring system comprising atethering device connected to a counterweight contacting the surface ofthe floor of a body of water.
 11. The invention of claim 10 wherein saidcounterweight is adapted to have adjustable buoyancy.
 12. The inventionof claim 8 wherein the foundation body comprises a chamber fillable withwater and optionally gas.
 13. The invention of claim 8 wherein thefoundation body is operable as a base for attaching a fish farminginstallation.
 14. The invention of claim 13 wherein the fish farminginstallation composes a cage or a net.
 15. The invention of claim 8,wherein the lower part of the foundation body comprises a polygonal orcircular hollow body surrounding a central body, arranged around acentral part adapted to extend vertically from the lower part beyond theupper part.
 16. The invention of claim 15, wherein the lower partcomprises a ring-shaped hollow body and a plurality of radially arrangedhollow arms connecting the ring-shaped hollow body to the central body.17. The invention of claim 16, wherein a fish farming device is locatedbetween the lower part of the foundation and the surface of the water.18. The invention of claim 17, wherein the fish farming device comprisesat least one fish farming cage disposed around the central body.
 19. Theinvention of claim 18, wherein the at least one fish farming cage hasthe form of a polygon and is arranged between the radial arms and twohollow bodies.
 20. The invention of claim 8, wherein the foundation bodyis constructed as a single piece with a plurality of integrated hollowchambers.
 21. The invention of claim 8, wherein the outside form of thelower part is hexagonal.
 22. The invention of claim 8, wherein the windturbine further comprises an electrical energy production component, andwherein the electrical energy is operable to power an automatic fishfeeding-related service, of the foundation.
 23. The buoyant foundationof claim 8, wherein the lower buoyant part is submerged below the wavemotion area of the body of water, the wind turbine extends above thesurface of the water, and the at least one counterweight is tethered tothe foundation body with at least the second tension cable, the at leastone counterweight is disposed on the surface of the floor of the body ofwater and biases the foundation body against thrusting vertically intothe wave motion area.